Will negotiators get replaced by AI anytime soon?
AI can be used to shortcut understanding contracts, reading contracts, writing contracts, and more. AI is a wonderful tool.
Negotiation expert Keld Jensen believes that if we can realize more value and have better negotiations using AI, we very well should. We should not stand in the way.
But will we be replaced by AI?
The current answer is no…
Keld Jensen firmly believes that negotiators who don’t use AI will be replaced by the negotiators who do use AI. But he doesn’t believe that AI will replace us completely.
We need humans around the table because relationships are still an important part of any good deal. But that should never stop us from using AI. Starting using it now. People are always surprised that he’s a big fan.
But he points out that it’s just a tool just like a calculator and a spreadsheet. It’s why Keld is dedicating a chapter of his book to the use of AI and chatGPT.
What does the data tell us?
Keld ran some negotiation simulations that looked at teams of two people negotiating with another team of two. Some of them were allowed to use chatGPT. Some didn’t use it at all. Others only had one team using chatGPT.
The results were astoundingly clear. The two teams using chatGPT achieved superior outcomes. They realized more value, concluded before their time limit was up, were better prepared, and were more precise. Everything was better compared to the teams that weren’t using chatGPT or only partially used chatGPT.
Use AI as a supplement and sounding board
In episode #433 of Negotiations Ninja, Keld Jensen points out that only 55% of contract professionals have never received any negotiation training.
There are many trained negotiators with a wide range of expertise in numerous fields. One person will never house all of the necessary knowledge that’s available in the field.
We supplement our knowledge by reading books, listening to podcasts, and going to training seminars. We use numerous tools in other areas of business. Why not leverage the artificial intelligence that’s available to use to make us even better at what we do?
AI can be a sounding board when another human isn’t available. It can help us generate ideas when we feel stuck. It can even recommend that you read Keld Jensen’s newest book, “Negotiation Essentials: The Tools You Need to Find Common Ground and Walk Away a Winner” to gain some more wisdom on the topic.
However you feel about the use of AI in negotiations, know that your counterparty is using it and using it to their advantage. And while Keld doesn’t believe that AI will replace us, those who use it will replace those who don’t.
Learn more in episode #433 of the Negotiations Ninja podcast!